Today's Story Line

Most media attention has been focused on the arrival of peacekeepers in East Timor. But aid workers say the terrorizing of the East Timorese continues in the refugee camps in West Timor.

The US is back to using a carrot with North Korea, lifting sanctions dating back to 1953. Trade in US goods is likely to be minor, but the move opens the way for more significant regional trade.

Pity Sierra Leone's rebels? No, but if their post-disarmament conditions don't improve, there's not much incentive for them to leave a life of war. The list of aid agencies on the page is for civilian victims, not rebels.

REPORTERS ON THE JOB *DILI OR BUST: How do you get to East Timor, safely, when you're not invited? It's not easy, says Monitor correspondent Cameron Barr. Over the weekend foreign reporters in Jakarta made arrangements to charter a plane to Dili, the East Timorese capital. Cameron ponied up $476 (in cash) and the group negotiated with the Indonesian military to provide some protection when the plane reached Dili. Cameron bought a bedroll, mosquito netting, food, and other supplies for living in a city with little or no infrastructure. Late Saturday, the military said it would be unable to provide any security guarantees, since it is leaving Dili. With paramilitary groups threatening to attack the international force in East Timor, the journalists canceled the trip.

*REBEL HOTEL HOSPITALITY: When reporter Corinna Schuler arrived at the Mammy Yoko Hotel in Freetown, Sierra Leone, she was surrounded by about 40 rebel soldiers. "They were all screaming at once about the living conditions. I've never seen such rage," says Corinna. "They brought out a bowl of brown slop to show me what they were eating. I was told to try it. I declined." The soldiers began arguing over whether she should be forced to eat it. They eventually settled for taking her on a tour of their muddy swimming pool and backyard latrines.